Winnipegger Michael Schlater (left), shakes hands with Hon. Kelvin Goertzen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living, in Winnipeg today. Schlater and his wife Lilibeth gave $2 million to create a pediatric epilepsy and pediatric neurosurgery program in Winnipeg, last May. The unit officially opened Friday.Chris Procaylo / Chris Procaylo/Winnipeg Sun

A new monitoring unit for epilepsy in children was unveiled at the Children’s Hospital on Friday, seven months to the day after a $2 million donation made it all possible.

Back on May 9, 2017, Michael and Lilibeth Schlater donated the money to help set up a Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg

“Thrilled and excited are two of the words Lilibeth and I would use to describe this moment,” said Michael, the chief executive officer of Domino’s Pizza of Canada Ltd., in a prepared statement. “After thirty-five years with Domino’s Pizza Canada, it gives us great pride to be able to pay back our success in the city where everything started. Knowing we had a special part in helping Manitoban children and their families remain here for care is heartwarming.”

The Pediatric EMU currently encompasses two in-patient beds, a central monitoring unit at the nurse’s station, a telemetry room where EEG recordings are reviewed, and two portable EEG machines that may be used in the operating room or Intensive Care Unit, in more urgent scenarios.

A significant upgrade in the Children’s Hospital electronic servers and workstations was also necessary to support the program.

Since the launch of the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program in the past few months, 12 children have already been treated in Manitoba.

“Donors like Michael and Lilibeth Schlater truly make the difference in the lives of sick and injured children here in Manitoba”, said Karen Cornejo, chair of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba Board of Directors. “We thank them for their leadership in making this life-changing project possible.”

Previous to this program, having to travel out-of-province for care posed significant challenges on pediatric epilepsy patients and their families. The wait list, according to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, averages between one and two years.

The arrival of the new EMU is expected to bring that wait time down.

The CHFM anticipates that upwards of 100 patients or more will be seen this year, meaning that the EMU will reduce costs and also significantly shorten wait times for children with epilepsy in the province.

The CHFM says there are 19,000 patients with epilepsy in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority catchment. There are a total of 6,300 patients with resistance to anti-epileptic medication, with one-half of those being children.

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